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Step 1: Get rid of 90%+ of your stuff
Step 2: Create prison-cell-cum-child-kennel only suitable for extremely young children

Yeah, it'd work in any city for the hyperbohemian artist types that are okay living a neo-ascetic life. That doesn't really jive with the rank & file Albertans that make up the majority of our fair city.

Neat article though, but about as relevant to most Edmontonians as a guide on how to live on a sailboat.

Giving less of a damn than ever… Can't laugh at the ignorant if you ignore them!

The last time I checked, we were are not talking about about central parts of asian cities. Space isn't at a premimum and we do not have the massive overpopulation that many asian cities face.

Well we can agree we are talking about Toronto. Toronto (non GTA) itself is approximately the same land area as Edmonton but has over 3x the population of Edmonton. Space isn't SCARCE. But it is at a premium as this article suggests.

Toronto is going through what all major worldwide cities have to do when land is at a premium...you build up. And when the standard unit becomes too expensive, the units get smaller so they can become "affordable". Rinse and repeat. Give it another decade, and we'll see an article about raising a family in a 600sf condo.

We should look to other cities than have undergone this transformation and try to learn from it - such as effective layout designs of buildings, community amenities, etc.

Except land isn't & won't be scarce in Edmonton any time soon. There's literally 40 years of suburban development & new neighbourhoods approved & in the pipeline already. Even if we jam on the brakes now, it's gonna take quite some time for that momentum to stop.

Giving less of a damn than ever… Can't laugh at the ignorant if you ignore them!

^true you are. Edmonton is nowhere near Toronto and it will never become what Toronto is today.

Originally Posted by ajs

a) So what?

b) Of course. 700 square feet designed for a family could work just fine. 700sf designed for a professional couple is useless for a family.

A family of eight was raised in the 900sf bungalow my family of four now occupies. Plenty of space.

That was exactly my reaction to the article. And what I posted was a reaction to that. So what....its a reflection of where you live. Midwest states, you have sprawling lots and live the American Dream. Move to the coast and you end up in smaller places with the same money. Go to the popular coastal cities like NYC, SF, Seattle, and the same money gets you a shoebox in a tower. The smaller the space, the more creative you have to be in order to adapt to your needs.

Central Toronto is becoming a lot like a Eurasian metropolis and for the same reasons. Sheer numbers of humans, sheer distances to travel to jobs, etc. The comparison seems apt to me.

Edmonton, in addition to being a fifth the size currently, is also radial in form, while Toronto is squished up against a lake. This should afford Edmonton twice the size before experiencing the same economics in the Central areas.

I.e., no, not anytime soon.

That said, it sure would be neat to see more condos designed for families, or at least 'open plan' so they could be more easily adapted by whichever household happens to be in residence.

Watch the full length version where you see how the police handle the rich vs the poor

Excerpt

This feature documentary is considered to be the forerunner of the NFB's Challenge for Change Program. The film offers in inside look at 3 weeks in the life of the Bailey family. Trouble with the police, begging for stale bread, and the birth of another child are just some of the issues they face. Through it all, the father tries to explain his family's predicament. Although filmed in Montreal, the film offers an anatomy of poverty as it occurs throughout North America.

Last edited by Edmonton PRT; 03-11-2016 at 01:11 PM.

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